Insulator support for power rails



Dec. 11, 1934.v w c BANKS 1,984,245

INSULATOR SUPPORT FOR POWER RAILS Filed Feb. 6, 1954 2 SHets-Sheet l l0 /2 F/ G.

INVENTOR /LZ /AM C. BANKS ad; mam

ATTORNEY.

Dec. 11, 1934. w. c. BANKS INSULATOR SUPPORT FOR POWER RAILS Filed Feb. 6, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 rm F mm m NN R EA 0 m ym m M 9 3 a q /m m W li Patented Dec. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 16 Claims.

This invention relates to electric insulators, and more specifically to insulators adapted to support running lengths of power conduits, for instance the third or power rail which supplies power to the running trains of electric railroads or subways, and the like.

A power rail spaced from the ground and supported upon such insulators at certain intervals along the rail is subject to vibrations imparted thereto from the running train. In due course the continued strain from vibrations or the like, may weaken and eventually damage the insulator. Such strain or vibrations are liable to loosen in time, certain insulator connections and eventually due to cumulative ill effects cause breakage of the insulator.

Therefore, one object of this invention is to combat such emergencies by an improved mounting or insulating support for the power rail, and which is simple, economical, and safe; another object is to strengthen certain insulator connections, and to universally raise their resistance against stresses and strains.

Another object is to provide improvements to remedy the aforementioned ill effects, which can be readily incorporated in a standard construction of insulator equipment, that is to say, without considerable changes thereof and preferably so that a change on existing equipment can be made Without having to scrap essential parts of the equipment or of the manufacturing outfit.

A conventional insulating support for the purpose mentioned comprises a casting to constitute a stool or holder adapted to be firmly anchored to the tie or sleeper. Fixed to this holder is a body of insulating or non-conducting material having the necessary qualities and shape to enable it to support the power rail.

The insulator body or head may be of earthen- 40 ware or porcelain or other suitable materials which incidentally are mouldable during the process of their manufacture. This head is shaped substantialy as a square or cubic block, which thus is adapted to have attached thereto a power rail of conventional double flanged profile fitted by its base flange for mounting in a suitable standard manner onto the fiat top of the insulator. The preferred and conventional manner of attaching the power rail is through a pair of double hooked and preferably widelipped clamping jaws, bolted together, whereby the double hooked portions thereof engage into corresponding lateral grooves of the earthen insulator and over the base flange respectively of the power rail,

A problem in the construction of a practical insulating support of this character lies in the difficulty of combining and securely connecting with each other such different building materials as for instance the earthen or porcelain insulator on the one hand, and corresponding steel or metal elements or casting members on the other hand. The connections between these heterogeneous elements must be such as to render the structure capable not only of performing its duty as an insulator, but capable also of withstanding the attendant mechanical strain and stresses of actual service, taking into .account the relative low mechanical strength and other characteristics such as brittleness of the insulating material or insulator head.

Trouble has been experienced because a weakness of the standard insulator lay in the difficulty of firmly and durably fastening the insulator to its support or holder. ard method of connection has not proved to be sufliciently safe, which method consists in assembling the insulator upon its foot or holder with certain clearances therebetween, and then supplying a filling material or connecting substance such as molten lead into the clearance spaces, to the end of establishing a permanent connection after the filling material has solidified. This method is, and may herein be, briefly termed as leading the one element into the other.

Ordinarily, an insulator support is in the form of a holder having an upright hollow openended casting which has a reduced vertically extending top portion in the nature of a neck preferably of non-circular cross-section. The neck is adapted to lodge, with a certain all around clearance, in a corresponding recess or socket in the bottom of the otherwise solid insulator head. When assembled and in position, the insulator head is seated upon the shoulder of the base portion of the insulator holder. The molten filling substance such as lead is poured through the hollow inside of the casting and allowed to fill in the spaces or clearances in and around the neck. The non-circular cross-section of the neck is intended to obviate in particular a possible rotary displacement of the insulator relative to the neck or stub around which it is fastened through the lead filling, and there are provided longitudinally slotted openings or elongated notches down the sides of the neck in order to permit the passage of the filling material from the inside of the neck into the outer annular clearance space Particularly, a stand- H there-around, and also to reinforce the connection after the lead has solidified in these passages as well as inside and around the neck.

This method of connection, although ingenious and still standard practice has not throughout withstood the test of time and wear, in that rotary or other displacement of the insulator head and strain of a universal character imposed thereon with subsequent destruction of the lead connectionand eventually of the insulator head could not-' be prevented.

The invention, therefore, contemplates the provision or insertion of certain additional inter;

locking means between the neck portion of the insulator support or holder and "th'einsulator supported thereby. The invention, therefore, also can be said to contemplate an arrangement for reinforcing the connection just character'-'" tion contemplates the suitable arrangement orinsertion -of certain novel interlocking means between theinsulator support and its surrounding insula'ting head, such interlocking means preferably 'consistingof a suitable material of suitable shape and s'uitabledisposition,

Consequently; one feature of the invention providesa'protrusion which extends from' the inner walls'of the recess or socket found in the bottomof the insulator. With the parts assembled; this protrusion of theinsulator ihead' comes to lodge in a corresponding-recess or the like in the insulator support or holder. It can thusbe -said that by the step of assembly an interlocking relationship of one kind; or another isestabli'shed effective preferably: to check such undesirabledisplacements as for instance .rotational displacement of the insulator heretofore experienced with standard insulator assemblies of this type.- I

According-to another feature, theprotrusion within the recessor socket of the insulator. head cons-ists of aspeeial element anchored or fixed in the -walls of therecess, preferably-in such a manner" that the element merges substantially undisplaceably intothe-materialfrom which the insulator. is made. element-can be positioned in the desired manner in the insulatorheadgwhile the same is being moulded or cast into its form during its process of 'manufacture.

gether -with the insulator head forms a solid uni-t which as such "can be assembled upon the insulator base "portion. I

According to another feature, the aforementioned-protrusionis in-the form ofa plate or;

It should be note'd that this It is "thus understood thatthis element or safety locking member, to-.

According to another feature, an anchoring and reinforcing element is rigidly moulded with the insulator and rises from the bottom of the recess r socket, the relative arrangement of parts being such that when the insulator is assembled upon the holder this anchoring and reinforcing element will enter the hollow of the holder neck which in turn lodges in the recess of the head.

According to a still different aspect of. the invention, a featurelies in the factthat the desired ends of reinforcement and security are attained by introducing into the manufacturingprocess of this equipment a simple inexpensive element in a certain simple manner wherebyno appreciablejchange of standard parts need be made.

Stillanother'feature provides for an article of manufacture'which comprises the insulator head substantially as described consisting'of a suitable insulating material. for instance porcelain which has moulded therein. or merged therewith during: the process of manufacture: the interlocking or: reinforcing or anchoring. member. Preferably:

that member is in thevform of a plate, partitiona While the insulator, head is thus anchored at the center, a surrounding orannular or marginal bottom portiono-f the insulator head is sustainedupon the holder, thus offering byfavorable distribution ofacting forcesa considerable resist-:- ance against transverse or bending. stresses imposed-upon theconstruction', thereby easing the stresses in the-insulator head.

In a preferred embodiment the novel locking or interlocking or reinforcing arrangement consists-of-a preferablyrectangular or oblong plate or'web traversing lengthwise the socket opening in the insulator'head whereby the-plate. is held in place, that is to say is chucked or closed in edgewise'froni three sidesby the material of the insulator head. Moreover, since'preferably the free end of the plate terminates within the socket, thatis to say some little distance spaced from the bottom faceof the insulator head it allows the surrounding material of the insulator head to close in also somewhat over the extreme ends of the fourth or exposed edge of the plate so as to make it practically in'displaceable in all directions within, and solid with, the insulator, head. A safe connection or merging into each other'of these two elements is thus established. The vplate forms a partition or wall or web lengthwise within the socket and has a perforation throughwhich the filling material or connecting substance such as molten lead may pass, and in which it may solidify so as to strengthenits anchorage and the intercoherence of the elements'involved in this connection. It should also'be noted that this plate is otherwise so arranged -and dimensioned that it can readily lodge in the initially mentioned slit-like notches or cut-outs already present in standard "parts of standard equipment. Therefore, it will be noted that the plate or member 42 also serves as a positioning means in order to more correctly locate and adjust the head upon the holder. Note also that the preferred embodiment of this invention can readily be incorporated without necessitating redesign of standard equipment or essential changes of parts thereof, and hence no considerable change of the manufacturing equipment.

The invention possesses other objects and fea tures of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description. In the description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. In the accompanying drawings there has been illustrated the best embodi- 'ment of this invention known to me, but such embodiment is to be regarded as typical only of many possible embodiments, and the invention not to be limited thereto.

Fig. 1 is a general View upon one side of the rail support, showing the power rail in crosssection fastened to the insulator.

Fig. 2 is a plan view taken upon Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-section through the insulator assembly taken upon Fig. 1 along the line ca.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the insulator head turned upside down to indicate the manner of its assembly with the insulator holder with respect to the novel interlocking means.

Fig. 5 is a part cross-section taken upon Fig. 3 along the line b-b, showing the relative posi tion and function of the novel interlocking memher.

In 1 the cross-section of a power or third rail discloses a profile having a base or basefiange 11, a top or contact flange 12, and a connecting web 13. The power rail is fixedly mounted upon a support or insulator collectively indicated by the number 14 which is shown to be in the general appearance of an upright standard adapted to be firmly anchored upon a suitable ground base as indicated at 14a.

The insulator 13 comprises the insulator support or holder 15 and the insulator head 16 which latter may consist of a suitable non-- conducting for instance earthen material or porcelain. The insulator head 16 is shown to have the general appearance of a block or cube having slightly tapered sides 17, a fiat top face 18, and a recessed bottom portion defined by a short skirt 19, (see 3), a shallow recess 20 leading into a deeper recess or socket 21. The flat recess 20 is defined as by a conical side face 22 and an annular bottom face 23 which surrounds the socket 21, recess 20 and socket 21 being adapted to receive the insulator holder 15.

squarely across the top face 18 of the insulator head extends a groove 24 of semi-circular cross-section shaped to receive therein a bolt 25 ha 'ing a head 26 at one end and threaded upon the other end a nut 27. This bolt forms part of i-a standard clamping attachment for securing the power rail upon the insulator head, and which further comprises the two clamping 28, 29 which hold the rail. The clamps are identical in shape, each of them showing the appearance of a twin hook member consisting of the opposedly directed curved or hook portions 30 and 31 and the bifurcated shank 32 consisting of two prongs 33 and 34 (see Fig. 3). When the clamping atmember is to be embedded.

tachment is in place the hook portion 31 engages in a horizontal groove 35 in the side of the insulator head while the associated hook portion 30 engages over an edge portion 35a of the basefiange 11 of the power rail (see Figs. 1 and 2). The clamping bolt 25 extends between the prongs 33 and 34 of the hook members and bolt and nut hold the clamping jaws together as well as the power rail in place, which clear from a glance at the drawings.

The insulator holder 15 is formed with a laterally extending horizontal anchoring base plate 36 having holes 3'? shown to be arranged in a triangle for anchor bolts (not shown). The holder 15 is in the way of a hollow open-ended steel casting which comprises a wider body portion 38 and upwardly extending therefrom a reduced stub-like top portion or neck 39, leaving an intermediate shoulder portion 40. The neck or hollow boss is shown to be preferably of oval configuration (see Fig. 5) and to have relatively deep vertical notches or slots 49a cut into the side.

When assembled upon the insulator holder 15 the insulator head 16 rests or engages upon the shoulder 40 of the holder hile neck portion thereof lodges inside the socket 21 of the insulator head. The neck is leaded into the recess as indicated by the lead filling 41 to make a permanent connection between the insulator holder and the insulator head.

The construction so far described is that of certain standard equipment. An improvement made upon this equipment lies in the arrangement of the plate or interlocking member 42 and its peculiar relationship to the elements involved at this crucial point of the construction. The elements engaged in this connection are, to wit: the neck portion 39 of the insulator holder, the insulator head 16 and the lead filling 41. The plate 42 is of oblong shape (see Figs. 1 and 3) and has an upper and a lower perforation or hole 43 and 44 respectively, to be permeated by the material in which this plate or interlocking In the process of assembly the insulator head forms a'i'igid unit with the plate 42 (see Fig. 4). This will be clear from the fact that not only about half the length of the plate 42 including the perforation 43 embedded in the material of the insulator head, but that also edge portions 45 of the long sides of the plate are embedded in the walls of the recess 21 as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. Also the fourth and exposed edge portion 46 of the plate (see Fig. 4) is allowed to merge sli htly into the Wall of the socket at 4'? since the exposed end 48 of the plate or partition terminates some-,

what within the recess 21, so that in all the plate 42 is practically undisplaceably embedded in the insulator head 16. As shown in Fig. 5, the socket 21 has a non-circular or elliptical shape in crosseection, and the plate 42 is arranged to traverse or partition the socket-recess along the shorter axis of ellipse. In this way the plate 42 may also lodge in the slots 46st present ii the neck 33 of standard holders of such type, thus establishing interlocking relationship between suitable structural elements. T1. '5 simple novel lenient will immediately relieve certain injurious stresses previously imposed upon the lead connection which holds the parts together, and make the connection more positive, of greater strength, and of universally greater resistance.

In assembling and connecting the insulator holder 15 and the insulator head 16, the simple procedure is as partially indicated in Fig. 4 and described as follows:

The insulator head 16 is turned upside down, the insulator holder is placed into position in the recessed portion of the head so that neck 39 of the holder lodges in recess 21 of the head, and that plate 42 automatically finds its lodging in the slots 40a. Due to the non-circular or oval shape of neck 39 and correspondingly of the recess 21, the proper relative position of the parts is readily determined and established. Especially from Figs. 3, 4 and 5, it is noted that clearance spaces are provided in and around the neck 39 as well as around the plate 42 where 'it lodges in the notches 40a so that too close a fitting of the interlocking parts is avoided and minor manufacturing inaccuracies thereby accounted for, whereas molten lead poured through'the hollow inside of the insulator holder is allowed to readily enter into and fill all clearances and spaces including the hole 4-1 in plate 42, thereby effectively and universally reinforcing and rendering safe the leaded connection between the insulator holder and the insulator head, and firmly anchoring the one upon the other.

The insulator head 16 embodying the improvement can also be considered as an article of manufacture, whereby in the course of production thereof the interlocking reinforcing member or plate 42 is firmly embedded in the insulating material of the head 16 preferably in the manner shown.

Specifically, in order to establish the lead con- -i nection, head and holder are assembled and positioned in upside down position. Lead is poured through the hollow holder 15 to fill the recess 21 in the head and the clearances and spaces around the parts therein so that eventually the anchoring or interlocking reinforcement plate a2 is firmly embedded in the material of the insulator head as well as in the lead filler.

What I claim is:

1. In an electric insulator construction for carrying a power conductor, the combination with a holder having a shouldered portion and a neck-like top portion rising therefrom, a head consisting of insulating material adapted to sustain the power conductor and having a recess adapted to fit substantially loosely over and around said top portion while allowing the body of the insulator head to .rest upon said shoulder portion, a filler substance adapted to set in the clearances and spaces around the parts within said recess so as to make a permanent connection between said head and said holder, of reinforcing means for strengthening the connection established by said filler, respective portions of said reinforcing means are substantially embedded in said head as well as in said filler.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, in which the reinforcing means comprise an element which pervades said head, said filler, and said neck-like top portion of the holder.

3. In an electric insulator construction for carrying a power conductor, a combination with a holder having a shouldered portion and a neck-like top portion rising therefrom, a head consisting of insulating material adapted to sustain the power conductorand having a recess adapted to have substantially freely lodged therein. said top portion while allowing the body of the insulator head to rest upon said shoulderedportion, a filler substance adapted to, set in the clearance and spaces around the parts in said recess to make a permanent connection between said head and said holder, of'

an additional structural element arranged between said head and said holder in a manner to have interlocking relationship therewith for reinforcing the connection established by said filler.

4.11]. an electric insulator construction for carrying a power conductor, the combination with a holder having a shouldered portion and a hollow neck-like top portion rising therefrom, a head consisting of insulating material adapted to sustain the power conductor and having a recess adapted to fit substantially loosely over and around said top portion while allowing the body of the insulator head to rest upon said shouldered portion, a filler substance adapted to set in the clearances and spaces in and around said neck-like portion to make a permanent,

with a holder having a shouldered portion anda projecting top portion rising therefrom, a head consisting of insulating material adapted to sustain the power conductor and having a recess adapted to fit substantially loosely over and around said top portion while allowing the body of the insulator head to rest upon said shouldered portion, a filler substance adapted to set in the clearances and spaces around the parts within said recess, of a protrusion rigid with the insulator head and extending from the surface of the recess therein, said protrusion and said top portion of the holder having interlocking relationship with each other when the parts are assembled.

6. In an electric insulator construction for carrying a power conductor, the combination with a holder having a shouldered portion and a projection or top portion rising therefrom, said top portion having sunk across the top thereof a relatively deep notch-like recess, a head consisting of insulating material adapted to sustain the power conductor and having a recess adapted to fit substantially freely over and around said stub while allowingthe body of the insulator head to rest upon said shouldered portion, a filler substance adapted to set in the parts within said recess to make a permanent connection between said head and said holder, of a reinforcing web extending within the recess of the head and traversing from side to'side thereof, said web adapted to lodge in said notch-like recess when head and holderare assembled, said Web also embedded in the filler.

7. The arrangement according to claim 6, in which there is clearance between the web and the notch for the filler substance to pass therethrough.

8.111 an electric insulator construction for carrying a power conductor, the combination with a hollow open-ended holder having a shouldered based portion and a substantially cylindrical hollow top portion rising therefrom, the walls of said top portion having longitudinally extending opposedly arranged slots, at head consisting of insulating material adapted to, sust ain the power conductor and having a recess arranged to fit substantially freely over and around said top portion while allowing the body of the insulator head to rest upon said shouldered portion, a filler substance adapted to set in the clearances and spaces around the parts within the recess of the head to make a permanent connection between said head and said holder, of a reinforcing web traversing from side to side of the recess in the insulator head and rigid therewith, said web adapted to lodge in said slots when head and holder are assembled, said web also embedded in the filler substance.

9. The arrangement according to claim 8, in which there are provided means for anchoring the central portion of the web in the filler substance within the cylindrical top portion.

10. The arrangement according to claim 8, in which a substantially centrally located perforation in the web allows for passage therethrough of the filler substance thereby effective to give additional anchorage to said web.

11. As an article of manufacture, an insulator head adapted for carrying a power conductor and shaped to have in its bottom portion a recess to enable said head to be fixed upon a holder-stub with the aid of a filler medium, and anchoring and reinforcing means comprising a member rigidly extending from the inner surface of and substantially diametrically across said recess, said anchoring member embedded in the insulating material of said head and placed therein during the process of manufacture thereof.

12. As an article of manufacture, an insulator head according to claim 11, in which the anchoring and reinforcing means are endwise fully embedded in the side walls of the recess.

13. As an article of manufacture, an insulator head according to claim 11, in which the anchoring and reinforcing means comprise a plate member traversing said recess from side to side thereof.

14. As an article of manufacture, an insulator head according to claim 11, in which the anchoring means comprise a plate member traversing said recess from side to side thereof, said plate member being edgewise embedded in the sides and in the bottom of said recess.

15. As an article of manufacture, an insulator head according to claim 11, in which the anchoring means comprise a substantially rectangular plate member traversing said recess from side to side thereof and which is embedded in the bottom and in the sides of said recess, and perforations in said plate allow the respective surrounding medium to set therein so as to increase the anchoring power thereof.

16. As an article of manufacture, an insulator head according to claim 11, in which the anchoring means comprise a substantially rectangular plate member traversing said recess from side to side thereof and which is embedded in the bottom and in the sides of said recess, and means for increasing the anchoring power of said plate in the respective media in which it is embedded.

WILLIAM C. BANKS. 

